How much does Holster Wear effect resale value?

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cleetus03

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I'm quite meticulous in maintaining & cleaning my handguns. So it somewhat irritates me when a holster inevitably starts acting like sandpaper on a guns finish. But to be honest it's not the cosmetic look of holster wear on a new gun that bothers me the most. Its the notion of the gun's resale value dropping like stone as the wear progresses.


I just bought a brand new Ruger blued GP100. And although I bought it as a shooter, it kills me to know that its current flawless finish will succumb to inevitable wear as it slips in and out of the holster I bought for it.

With that said;

1. How much does genuine holster wear effect a handgun's resale value?

2. Are their any ways to avoid holster wear with a new gun? (other than not using a holster of course!)

3. Am I being way too paranoid about this? Should I just accept short of safe queens, guns are tools and therefore will show wear with real use?

I appreciate all the help and advice yall can give me!
 
3. Am I being way too paranoid about this? Should I just accept short of safe queens, guns are tools and therefore will show wear with real use?
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Number 3.

If it is a carry gun, what is more important to you: your life, or the resale value?
 
Carry guns are of absolute no concern. Furthermore, I've accepted holster wear as inevitable, i'm just curious too know just how much it effects resale value.

Like for example I just bought the following GP100;
ruger111.jpg


I bought it for the sole purpose of a range gun and a occasional woods companion. I'm not going to stop strapping it into a holster, but I just wanted to know how much the wear will effect the guns resale value over time, and if I can do anything to minimize it. If nothing can be done than so be it. But I figured I'd ask for the hell of it.
 
IMHO, there are an awful lot of people that won't buy one with wear. I guess that they want it clean and pristine.

If you look at some of the ratings for used guns, excellent-average-fair, etc. There is a loss due to wear. Even though the gun may be perfect or near perfect mechanically.

You might want to research it with some of the used gun books.

I figure the first buyer of anything gets hit with the most depreciation. I've bought guns that had some significant wear- honest wear, not road rash, for really good prices through the years.
 
Holster wear is your own form of customization. Some of the best looking guns out there are ones that look bit worn. They "look" reliable.
 
How much of a difference holster wear makes would probably depend on the buyer. My thoughts would be just keep it & that way it wont matter.
 
Actually, it does affect the value. A good portion of a gun's value is based on its cosmetics. As mentioned, many of these pistols are in pristine condition otherwise, shot very little. I think I'm more turned-off by muzzle wear caused of course by going in&out of the holster head first...However, if it is an auto or revolver I really would like to have; it gives you a bargaining point in negotiations...:)
 
It's just my way of looking at it Cleetus. I don't have anywhere near as many firearms as many here but I like what I have & wont hardly part with anything unless it just doesn't function like I think it should.
I wanted to add-Thats one purdy looking Ruger.
 
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There is just something very practical about a gun you don't mind setting on a rock while you do nature's business, dress out a deer, or climb over a fence. I have, in the last 5 years, taken more to vintage, used, worn, or less-than-perfect, cosmetically challenged guns. Now I carry them, use them, shoot them, and ENJOY them. I got tired of storing them in a safe, and just taking them out to look at (I still have some of those). I am really enjoying shooting and gun ownership and use MORE because I worry LESS about putting wear on the guns I pack. Several have so many dings and scratches, I probably would not notice new ones. They still shoot BEAUTIFULLY. If your gun is TOO valuable, with pristine finish, and you do not WANT to devalue it, put it away. BUT, you only live once, so why not be the one who really USES it? Why store it for the next guy. Are you a shooter or a curator?
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This is a very good question.

I hated it when one of my XD's slipped from my fingers when I pulled it from the range bag and fell 2 feet to the concrete (unloaded). There was no reason for this mistake if I had only been more careful. There was a slight ding on the back of the slide and it made me frown.

I have been noticing more and more wear on my XD45C as I carry it every day in a crossbreed supertuck kydex/leather holster. I think about its resale value but really...I'm not going to sell it for a long time (if ever) and it is doing the job that I bought it for so why should I complain? I can always get the slide refinished if it gets to looking really crappy..

Besides that... I've already polished the barrel and the end of the guide rod to a brushed stainless steel look so the gun has already been customized to me.

The gun will still sell for 75% of its NIB price. Not a small loss considering it has been customized to me and it will last forever if taken care of properly.

~Norinco
 
One thing about ensuring you have a good (i.e. complete) finish is RUST prevention. Older guns seem to fare better than newer ones...even so called "good" ones. Kimber is notorious for their black oxide being thin and slides rusting. XDs had slide rust problems, too. Same for Sig Sauer. And these were NEW guns. I have a beat up Interarms PPK/s from the early 80s with about half the bluing worn off. Never a speck of rust. Same for a very old Ruger Mk I .22 pistol as well. And a beat to hell and back Mossberg 500 12 ga.

I don't really care about a perfect finish and will more than accept "character", holster wear, etc...BUT...when/if it starts to rust? That's when I'll think about having it re-finished.
 
Yes, holster wear affects value, but a normal amount of holster wear does not have that much effect on "using" (as opposed to "collecting") guns.

BTW, not all holsters act like sandpaper; some are made with smooth linings and even the rough ones can be oiled to reduce friction, which will have the added benefit of making the draw easier and smoother.

Jim
 
I dinged the finish on my XD when I was knocking out the factory sights so I could replace them with meprolights Norinco. It really bothered me then but I got past it. It happens-It still shoots just as well though.
 
Once you get get past the "like new" stage, wear from use doesn't affect the price that much. A pistol with 500 rounds fired will sell for the same amount as one with 5,000 rounds.
 
I know what you mean, Mike J. I like my XD enough that when I got it I stopped looking for another handgun. I'm still interested in other handguns but not looking for one. I almost picked up a CZ P07 because it felt so good but the CZ forums reveal a lot of reliability issues.

Back on topic: I picked up a DAO Sig SP2009 (sig pro) 9mm at a gunshow for my father-in-law's birthday about a month ago. I got it for $415 and it was the LEO model with night sites. It had little specs of rust on the slide...mainly towards the hammer. It did make me hesitate to buy it but I figured hey, it's not my gun (FIL's first real handgun) and I'm sure it will still be reliable for him. I would not have paid a penny more than I did for it...and if it did not have rust and wear on it I probably would have paid their asking price of $450 without feeling bad.

~Norinco
 
A gun is a tool, not a piece of jewelry. When I buy a new one I do my best to keep it clean and in good condition but I understand that normal wear and tear will ensue due to shooting and carrying. If I had a gun that I wanted to preserve strictly for investment value (I don't) I would just oil it up, put it in the safe and never touch it.

That's one reason I like to acquire good used milsurp handguns. They're already broken in so I don't need to get all paranoid about cosmetic issues like holster wear.
 
It can be both, just like a watch.
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True, but you also have the people who will bitch and moan because they scratched an expensive watch while they were emptying a septic tank, hauling scrap, working on cars, whatever and just "going about life" in their daily duties.

The same types often own high end 1911s (or whatever) and complain about "wear" from carry/usage just the same. There's a time and place for everything. You want something that's "all the time"? Then spend your price range and don't worry about cosmetics as long as functioning is not affected.
 
Hello friends and neighbors // There are a lot of GP100's so I'd say shooter. If rare fire arm safe Queen . ////

All my firearms are shooters(tools) // Most were purchased used with holster wear on revolvers/pistols . Slide wear on pump actions shotgun, and rifle means someone else was kind enough to slick them up for me.

Because of wear a firearm canno''t be sold as 90% + ( Better deals for me)

Got very good prices because of wear though.
 
True, but you also have the people who will bitch and moan because they scratched an expensive watch while they were emptying a septic tank, hauling scrap, working on cars, whatever and just "going about life" in their daily duties.
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If you wear a Rolex while elbow-deep in engine grease and oil, well you have to expect it to get dirty. Similarly, if you wear a $3000 1911 IWB while running a marathon in August, you have to expect it to get skin oil, dirt, lint, sweat, and some scuffs on it.
 
I know. Just don't complain about it since a person knew what they were getting into! :)
 
I don't know what it sold for new, but I'm sure I paid more for a sixty year old Colt Official Police (38), than whoever did in 1950. That thing has holster wear out the wazoo. Good honest wear, that no doubt came from riding in come COPs or security guards holster for many a long shift. I'd like to hear the stories that old gun could tell.

031-1.gif

Holster wear gives a gun character. :D
 
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